NASA’s Curiosity rover has made a groundbreaking discovery on Mars, finding the largest organic compounds ever seen on the red planet. The compounds were detected in a 3.7 billion-year-old rock sample collected from an ancient Martian lakebed that harboured all the necessary ingredients for life.
The rock sample, known as Cumberland, contains long-chain alkanes and fatty acids, which are crucial constituents of cell membranes in all living organisms on Earth. Researchers believe these molecules can be made by both chemical reactions and biological processes.
One expert said this discovery represents the best chance scientists have had to identify remains of life on Mars. The Curiosity rover has been exploring the Gale crater since landing in 2012, detecting traces of organics in ancient mudstone, but none as large as those found in this latest study.
The finding suggests that organic signatures of life can be preserved in Martian rock for billions of years, bolstering hopes that life may have emerged on Mars. However, further analysis is needed to confirm the discovery.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/24/nasa-curiosity-rover-mars-long-chain-alkanes-rock-sample-discovery